Gate-latch



AJ. A. GREEN.

GATE LEEEGE.

Patented Dec. 14, 1897.

ATTO

TN: nonms PETERS co., PNoraLln-lo., wAsHmcYuN. n. C'.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT @Prien JAMES ALPHEUS GREEN, OF' MILLDALE, VIRGINIA,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO AMOS RICHARD SIMPSON, OF PARIS, VIRGINIA.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION formingvpart f Letters Patent No. 595,676, dated December14, 1897.

Application filed February 19, 1897. Serial No. 624,158. (No model.)

To all' whom; t may concern.-

Be it known that I,- J AMES ALrHEUs GREEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Milldale, in the county of Warren and State ofVirginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gate-Latches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my improvement is to provide a tumbler-latch wherein thetumbler is fastened and released from the post-pin or keeper by a hookedlatch-bar and to adapt the tumbler-carrying parts andthe post-'pin `orkeeper for adjustment in relation to each other, and I will moreparticularly describe, and set out in the claims, the parts and the'combinations of parts which constitute my invention.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my improved latch as it is appliedto the gate and its relation to the post-pin or keeper with which thetumbler engages, and in Which- Figure l shows the tumbler, latch, andits casing or housing in vertical section, with its tumbler device inthe position it occupies when engaged with the post-pin or keeper. Fig.2 shows a like view, enlarged, the tumbler device being in openposition, as when receiving or when releasing the post-pin. Fig. 3 showsthe latch device in edge View as secured upon the panels of the gate,the latter being, shown as closed and engaged with the post-pin. Fig. 4shows the post-pin or keeper in side View as engaged with thelatch-tumbler. Fig. 5 shows in horizontal section, enlarged, the latchon the gate in engagement with the post-pin, the section being taken onthe line a: a: of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 shows a face yview of the lowerpart of the latch-casing and its slotted fastening-danges, through whichbolts pass into the gate-panel.

The latch device is secured in a vertical position upon the panels A atthe closing side of the gate, so that when the latter is closed it'willlap upon the outer side of the post B and bring the latch-tumbler inposition to strike and engage the post-pin on the inner side of thepost.

The latch devices proper are inclosed in a metal casing. orl housing,preferably of malleable iron, and I Amake the casing preferably of twosections l 1, suitably bolted together and between which the latchdevices are fitted. These devices consist of a tumbler 2, pivotallymounted upon hubs 3, within the enlarged lower end of the casing, whichprojects at right angles from the closing side of the gate. The enlargedpart of this casing has an opening I in its edge, and the hubs 3 of thetumbler are so relatedto this opening that a hook 5 on the tumbler will,when the gate is open, fall outward by gravity and stand down betweenthe cheeks of the casing, leaving the opening in the casing free for theentrance of the post-pin in closing the gate. At the upper side of andback of the hook the tumbler has a recess 6 in its edge which, when thetumbler-hook is thrown upward in spanning position at the front of theopening, will bring the edge recess 6 in position to be engaged by ahook on the latch-bar 7, which is fitted for vertical movement withinthe case back of the tumbler.` The case-opening is so shaped as to beclosed in front by the tumbler-hook, so that when the gate is closed thepost-pin will be inclosed between the tumblerhook and the casing at thebase of the opening. Between the recess 6 and its hook the tumbler has acam or finger part 8, which, when the tumbler-hook is in open position,as in Fig. 2, stands across the case-opening in position to be struck bythe post-piu 9 to swing the tumbler back, throwing the tumbler-hook uparound the pin, as in Figs. 1 and 5, latching the gate. The tumbler-hook5 and cam-inger 8 may coperate with the upper edge of the walls of thecasing at the opening in engaging the post-pin; but the upper edge ofthe opening may be made by the circumference of a disk 10, mounted toturn freely upon hubs 11, fixed in the casing, to render it easy for themovement of the post-pin in striking the tumbler, as the tumbler and thedisk will move together into latching position over the post-pin.

I prefer to make the latch-bar in two parts, the lower one of which, 7,has ahook projection 13, adapted for engagement with the tumbler-recess6 to hold it in position when the gate is latched, as in Fig. l, whilethe tumbler back of the recess forms a rest or seat 14 for thelatch-bar-hook projection 13 to support it in position when the gate isunlatched,

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as in Fig. 2, and to allow said hook to drop off said seat intoengagement with the tumbler-recess in the closing and latching of thegate. This latch-bar part, therefore, by its hook 13 hangs upon thetumbler whether the gate be latched or open. This hook-latch part 7extends below the tumbler and has a thumbpiece l5, access to which ishad through openings 16 in the side walls of the case, by which personson foot can unlatch the tumbler to open the gate by lifting thethumb-piece so as to free the latch-hook from the tumblerrecess to allowthe tumbler by gravity to fall outward. This outward movement of thetumbler to uncover the case-opening in unlatching the gate is limited bythe engagement of the seat part of the tumbler with the disk above thetumbler or with the casing at 17 below the tumbler, as may be preferred,while the inward latching movement of the tumbler is limited,preferably, by side beads or ribs 1S on the tumbler, engaging the wallsat the base of the case-opening, so as to relieve the thrust of thetumbler upon the hook of the latch-bar, as in Fig. 1.

The post-pin or keeper I prefer to make in the form of a rectangularhook 19, Fig. 5, secured by a plate-shank 2O to the post, so that thehook end will stand horizontally on the inner side of the post in thedirection of the opening of the gate,with the latch-pin 9 standinginward to the post, so as to form a loop, as in Fig. 5.

I prefer to secure the shank of the post-pin to a plate 21, which isscrewed in vertical position to the post, and to provide a slot 22 inthe pin-shank and a slot 23 in the post-plate, whereby the post-pin maybe adjusted horizontally toward and from the closing side of the gateand vertically upon the post, so as to set and maintain the said pin inposition to strike the tumbler cam-arm and push it back in passingwithin and engaging the tumbler-hook, as seen in Fig. 4. For thisadjustment a nutted bolt 24 connects the two plates, the head of thebolt being countersunk on the inner side of the post-plate, as seen inFig. 5. The post-pin shank, however, may be secured by a bolt throughthe post. When the slotted plates are used, they may be engaged byratchetteeth 25 to hold them firmly connected, and the post-plate mayhave dowelpins to drive into the post.

The provision for adjusting the casing containing the latch devicesconsists of the slotted flanges 2G, through which bolts 27 pass topermit the casing to be set higher or' lower. A staple 2S secures theupper part of the casing to the top gate-panel, and for giving a rm holdof the casing upon the panel the back of the casing has ratchet-teeth 29to bite into the lower panel, as in Fig. 1, under the pressure of thebolts 27 which bind the casing.

As seen in Fig. l, I prefer to make the upper end of the casing openlike a shovel-handle to receive the handle end 30 of the upper part 31of the latch-bar for the convenience of riders to unlatch the gate. Thisupper latch part 3l I prefer to couple with the upper end of thehook-latch part in a way to permit the hook part to be raised andlowered by its thumb-piece 15 independent of the upper handle part. Asimple way of forming this coupling is by the angle engaging ends 32 ofthe two-part latch-bar seen in Figs. 1 and 2. In the latter iigure thehook-latch part is raised without raising the upper handle part. At 33is seen the interior casingribs, which form bearings for thc latch-bars.

34 are the nutted bolts forsecu ring the case parts together.

In the walls at the lower end of the casing are coincident openings 35,and with these openings coincides an opening 36 in the lower end of thelatch-bar part 7 when the gate is latched, whereby to permit the shackleof a padlock to be passed through these openings to lock the tumblerwith the post-pin when desired.

I claim as my improvement- 1. In a latch, the combination with agravity-acting tumbler having a hook 5, an arm 8, a recess G back ofsaid arm and a seat 14 back of and terminating in said recess, of agravity latch-bar having a hook adapted to rest upon said seat in theopen position of the tumbler and to automatically drop from said seatinto engagement with the tumbler-recess in the closing movement ofthetumbler, and a casing or housing for said parts having an openingwith which the hook cooperates in its latching function and means forlifting said latch-bar.

2. In a gate-latch the combination, with a tumbler having a hook 5,cam-arm 8, recess G and surface seat 14, of a loosely-mounted disk abovethe tumbler, and a latch-bar having a hook and a thumb-piece, and acasing or housing for said parts, secured to the gate whereby in closingthe gate the tumbler and the disk are caused to roll into fasteningengagement with the post-pin or keeper.

3. The combination in a gate-latch of a housing or casing secured to thegate having coincident wall-openings 1G at its lower end, a tumblerabove said openings having a hook, a cam-arm, a recess and a surfaceseat standing from the upper side thereof, the said surface seat beingat its inner end and the hook at its outer end, a latch-bar arranged inVertical position back of the tumbler, and having a hook or detent 13above the tumbler and a thumb-piece accessible through saidcaseopenings, whereby the latch-bar is suspended upon the tumbler in itsclosed and in its open position.

4. The combination of a gravity-acting tumbler having a hook, an arm, arecess back of said arm and a seat back of said recess, of agravity-acting latch-bar of two parts coupled for movement together orindependent of each other, the lower part having a hook or detentadapted to automatically engage said recess, the upper coupled parthaving a handle at its IOO IIO

upper end and the lower coupled part having a thumb-piece at its lowerend whereby either latch part may be raised to unlock the tum- ,bleu

5. In a gate-latch, the combination with a gravity-acting tumbler havinga'hook on its outer end standing upward, a casing or housing having anopening with the upper edge of which, the said hook cooperates forengaging and releasing the post-pin or keeper, and a vertically-slidinglatch-bar of two parts coupled for movement, Jthe lower part independentof the upper part, the said lower part having a hook or deteut adaptedto engage and release said tumbler, and the said coupled parts eachhaving means for raising it.

6. In a gate-latch, a gravity-acting tumbler having a hook on its outerend standing upward, a vertically-sliding latch-bar having a hook ordetent standing downward, and a casing or housing for said parts, havingan opening adapted to coperate with said tumblerhook, in combination,with a post-pin, or keeper, means for vertically adjusting said housingupon the gate and means for adjusting said pin or keeper upon the postwhereby the latch-engaging parts may be adjusted in relation to eachother.

7. The combination, in a gate-latch, of a tumbler having a hook on itsouter end standing upward, a housing having an opening with which saidhook coperates, a vertically-sliding latch-bar having a hook, adapted toengage said tumbler, and a thumb-piece at its lower end, the saidhousing having coincident openings 16, for access to said thumb-pieceand openings 35 coincident with an opening 36 in said latch-bar, wherebythe latch and the housing may be locked together when the gate islatched.

JAMES ALPHEUS GREEN.

Witnesses:

A. E. H. JOHNSON, A. ROLAND JoHNsoN.

